Nigerian Boko Haram launched an
attack Monday on a military base in northwest
Cameroon, forcing many to flee the area, the
official sources said.
"As soon as people heard the first gunfire they
fled the city" of Kolofata, a local Cameroonian
source told AFP.
"The gunfire was very heavy," said the source,
adding that the military base is in an area where
police, elite army, and local government premises
are also located.
Police confirmed the attack but there was no
immediate information on any casualties.
Boko Haram has seized dozens of towns and
villages in northeast Nigeria in the last six
months and now reportedly controls the border
areas of Borno state with Niger, Chad and
Cameroon.
More than 13,000 people have died in northeast
Nigeria's conflict since Boko Haram launched its
insurgency in 2009 and hundreds of thousands
more have been made homeless.
Last month Cameroon sent warplanes into action
against Nigerian Boko Haram fighters for the
first time, after the large force of jihadists
crossed the border and seized a military camp.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau last week
threatened Cameroon in a video message on
YouTube, warning that the same fate would
befall the country as Nigeria.
Kolofata has been a Boko Haram target on
several occasions, notably last July when several
people were killed.
Another 27 people, including the wife of a deputy
prime minister, have been kidnapped, held for
week and then freed.
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